In printing apparatus of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,622, granted to J. A. Bellino et al. on Sept. 28, 1976, paper mounted on a typing platen receives printed impressions from a printing mechanism which moves from left to right across the face of the platen. An inked ribbon is imposed between the printing mechanism and the paper and is squeezed against the paper by the printing mechanism in shapes which, in the aggregate, form alphanumeric characters on the paper. The inked ribbon must periodically be renewed in order to maintain an even density of printing on the paper. U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,247 issued Sept. 6, 1977, entitled "Printer Ribbon Cartridge", in the name of R. E. LaSpesa et al. and commonly assigned herewith, discloses a ribbon cartridge and a ribbon routing system for guiding and reinking a ribbon. In the apparatus of the LaSpesa et al. patent, an inked ribbon cartridge is so manipulated as to draw an inked ribbon out of the cartridge and position the ribbon in front of the printing mechanism. Friction means are provided on the printing mechanism to apply a drag on the inked ribbon whenever the printing mechanism on its traversing carriage is moved from left to right or from right-to-left across the face of the platen and width of the paper. A one-way brake, housed within the ribbon cartridge which comprises one set of return rollers for ribbon routing, assures that ribbon is advanced unidirectionally upon movement of the carriage from right-to-left in a carriage-return operation but is held from movement as the carriage moves from left-to-right in the normal printing operation.